Many of the 100 million sharks killed each year are slaughtered for their fins alone. The fins are used in shark fin soup, a prized delicacy in Asia.

California is one of 10 states that have banned the sale of shark fins, to help protect the animals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says one-third of all shark species are threatened with extinction.

Now a San Francisco-based startup hopes its technology will reduce demand for their fins.

New Wave Foods is developing an imitation shark fin, called Smart Fin, that the company expects will be ready this summer. It’s intended to be an alternative for a banned luxury item. About 30 chefs have already signed up to sell Smart Fin in their restaurants.

Samples of fish collagen from New Wave. (Christina Farr/KQED)

The founders of New Wave Foods—Jennifer Kaehms, Dominique Barnes and Michelle Wolf—are working to duplicate collagen, a protein that’s the basic building block in the tissues of a shark’s fin. Wolf, New Wave’s lead engineer, is focused on mimicking the texture, rather than taste, as shark fin itself is virtually tasteless.

“Collagen are these strands,” Wolf says. “They’re kind of like ropes. And they’re all sort of an amorphous, irregular structure.”

New Wave Foods CEO Jenny Kaehmes says they’re starting with yeast and re-writing a little bit of its DNA. Instead of making more yeast, it churns out tiny ropes of collagen, which can then be mashed together to mimic the texture of shark fin.

“You’re treating yeast and bacteria like protein factories,” she says. From there, it’s a matter of mashing the tiny building blocks of collagen into structures that mimic the gelatinous texture of shark fin.

New Wave Foods is developing its Smart Fin alongside a class of other startups enrolled in the IndieBio accelerator program. IndieBio offers startups access to a research lab, located a stone’s throw from San Francisco’s financial district, in return for equity.

New Wave Foods is also working on a shrimp alternative made from seaweed. And several other startups are making animal-free products. Earlier this year, Pembient hit the headlines with its synthetic rhino horn.

Could Smart Fin Backfire?

New Wave Foods’ approach is not without its skeptics. Some say the approach is well-meant, but it could backfire.

“Time and time again,” he says, “we’ve seen that the legal trade in wildlife products only serves to provide cover for illegal shipments.”

That said, officials with California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife say it’s unlikely restaurants would list the artificial product on their menus and then serve the real thing. One said that’d be like charging diners for cheap imitation crab, while serving much pricier real crab.

Would You Eat Artificial Shark Fin?

It remains to be seen if synthetic shark fin soup will be a hit with diners. But if it’s any indication, one Bay Area chef has been experimenting with shark fin alternatives for years—with some success.

Lee starts with the same kind of broth as in traditional shark fin soup: ham and double-boiled chicken. He adds texture using what are called hydrocolloids, so he can press out fine brown strands, almost like noodles, that mimic the elastic snap of shark fin.

“We’re still serving it five years later,” says Lee, “so I think it turned out well.”

The soup my family most raved about was one with imitation shark fin made of yam. Since shark fin by itself has no taste, it’s always the chicken broth and ham that make the soup tasty. I bought the packaged imitation shark fin from Enjoy vegetarian restaurant in SF.

Bee Ben

Those who decry the planned introduction of plant-based artificial shark fin are among a legion of knee-jerk, dogma-driven extremists whose main goal seems to be the imposition of their behavioral standards upon the world as a whole.

Author

Daniel Potter

Daniel Potter is a reporter for KQED Science. Before that, he worked at Nashville Public Radio for six years. He’s gathered tape for The New York Times, contributed to a growing list of podcasts, and done national features for NPR on everything from bats to meningitis. He tweets at @hellodanpo.

Author

Christina Farr

Christina Farr (@chrissyfarr) is the former editor and host of Future of You. She was previously with Reuters, covering digital health and Apple and before that, she reported for Venture Beat. Christina was born and raised in London and has graduate degrees from University of London and the Stanford School of Journalism. Farr’s work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Bay Citizen and SFGate.com. She has appeared as a featured expert on NBC, ABC and Reuters TV, among others, and frequently speaks at health and technology conferences. She is also co-founder of Ladies Who Vino, a networking group for women in technology and business.

Future of You

Future of You is a project of KQED Science, supported by S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, The Vadasz Family Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Smart Family Foundation and the members of KQED.